are accused of stealing thousands of dollars in cash and electronics from fellow classmates. embarrassing for the school that calls itself hofstra pride. case dismissed. a strange twist. the tennis ref accused of killing her husband with a coffee cup, is set free. cut loose of her electronic monitoring device. >> i always maintained my innocence. >> so, why were the charges so suddenly dropped? and home cooking. a young girl's holiday campaign for gender-neutral toys. all because she wanted to give her brother an easy-bake oven. good morning, everybody. happy december 1st. we were just discussing that ginger will not be happy until we have a massive snowstorm, which she lives for. >> yeah. that's right. i'm waiting. also this morning, we have some intrigue developing in

washington, surrounding possible new additions the president may want to make to his cabinet. there could be a surprise announcement in the works. meantime, the clock is still ticking before we go over that fiscal cliff just days away. also this morning, swimming for his life. a man's frightening story of survival, after being attacked by a shark while on vacation in paradise. we'll tell you about his escape. >> he was lucky to be swimming at the time with an e.r. nurse. also coming up this morning, smiling and stunned. two years ago, this couple, they were unemployed. now, they're holding one of the two winning tickets in the $588 million powerball jackpot. but there's a mystery. who has the other ticket? >> everyone wants to know that one. and we'll hear from the secret santa who has been handing out $100 bills to victims from hurricane sandy. he's hoping other people will follow his example. >> some of the people watching the story behind the scenes here, they have been crying. so, that story is coming up. we're going to start with that mess in the west. the third in a nasty hat trick of storms bearing down tonight. and meteorologist, ginger zee,

covering the whole thing. as we wait for the blizzard, this will hold you over, right? >> this will hold me over. this is not so great for a lot of folks out west. a supersoaker. let's get right to it. more than ten inches of rain has already fallen at clear creek, california. st. helena, california, just over nine inches. so, how much more will we get? it's going to be on the order of 20 inches of storm total rainfall. on top of it, you have video like this coming in. this from parts of california in the san francisco bay area. wind gusts up to 54 miles per hour in the city. and outside, some of the higher terrain had 88-mile-per-hour gusts. and we go to nevada because it is not just california. they are sandbagging, preparing for more rain. the truckee river will likely crest and flood by tomorrow. some of the heaviest flooding they've seen in more than a decade. finally, it's not just northern california and the pacific northwest. it's southern california that feels the high surf. so, some surfers probably very happy. but could be dangerous.

but it's something to note if you're planning to go to the beach in southern california. let's look at what we expect for more rainfall coming up. tonight into early tomorrow, that's when the next bulk of it hits. you'll have four to eight inches in that red area. redding, you're included. sacramento, just on the outside of it. the wind speeds will gust easily to 40-mile-per-hour-plus. 60 to 80 in any of the red area. and finally, high surf going to be an issue, all the way through the weekend. i'll have so much more coming up in your nation's weather. including, the end to hurricane season that's not ending, if you can believe it or not. dan? >> a nervous night in the northwest. ginger, thank you. let's check the other headlines breaking overnight. as always, it's ron claiborne. >> hi, there, dan and bianna. good morning, everyone. two men are in custody this morning for allegedly planning a terror plot in the united states. the naturalized citizens live in florida. but were said to be in contact with radicals overseas. abc's senior justice correspondent, pierre thomas, join us with the details. pierre? >> reporter: good morning.

the two ft. lauderdale men are accused of plotting to detonate a bomb in the u.s. homeland. the suspects are brothers. raees and sheheryar qazi. identified as naturalized citizens from pakistan. sources tell abc news, this was not a sting. and that the younger brother had been in contact with overseas radicals, possibly connected to al qaeda. the indictment accused the men of attempting to provide money, lodging and transportation, and conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction. and sources say, the fbi found evidence that the younger brother, had been monitoring recent fbi sting cases. so, authorities say infiltrating the alleged conspiracy was a non-starter. one law enforcement source described the young man's intent as serious. but the source said, the attack was not imminent. >> okay. pierre thomas, thanks for that report. and we have breaking news overnight from overseas. a new provocation from north korea. the secretive nuclear nation says it will launch a long-range rocket later this month, some

time between the 10th and the 22nd of december. the first attempt to launch of a rocket broke apart shortly after liftoff. that was back in april. the white house says tests like this only further isolates north korea. the u.s. is criticizing israel's decision to build new barriers to a potential peace deal. israel says they will build new settlements in the west bank and jerusalem on land considered to belong to the palestinians. the announcement was a quick response to the united nations vote to recognize palestine as a nonmember observer state. and hundreds of people were forced to evacuate from their homes in new jersey, late friday, hours after a train derailed spilling a hazardous chemical. authorities ordered people to leave their homes after readings showed high levels of a dangerous chemical. 70 people went to the emergency room. but most were discharged within hours. finally, a different kind of hazard on the golf course. a course in south africa is being overrun with baboons. one of them, seen here. the actual baboon. this is not a re-enactment here.

the real baboon ran across the 15th green, grabbed the cameraman's food and hopped into a golf cart. he had good etiquette, waiting for the green to be cleared before running out. >> that was live. >> that was the real deal. that was the real deal. >> this newscast always -- never fake news from ron claiborne. >> always the real stuff. >> except for when he's making it up. >> thanks, ron. let's turn to other real news. and president obama is facing two, big items on his agenda as the new year approaches. not only is he in a staredown with congress over the looming fiscal cliff. now, there's reports that his first pick for a new cabinet could come as soon as this month. and his choice may be a surprising one. david kerley is here. we're talking about the top spot for the defense department. >> reporter: we were talking that the president probably next week who he would like to go to the state department. but now, there's a report that maybe he's going to do a package deal next week. state department nominee, as well as defense department nominee. and there could be a couple of

surprises here. these are some of the names we've been hearing over the last couple weeks. one is interesting. chuck hagel, a former senator. he's on the right on your screen. he's a republican. also, john kerry, currently in the senate. michelle flournoy, who is in the defense department right now. and ashton carter, right now in the defense department right now. hagel would be an interesting pick. if he picks hagel, a republican, that takes some of the heat off of susan rice to be nominated as secretary of state. she's had a tough time on capitol hill talking to republicans. so, if you get a package deal, a republican and a democrat, that you're nominating from the president. what are republican senators going to do, but take both of them? we're hearing, if the president wants susan rice, he's going to nominate susan rice, one way or the another. >> using political capital at that. david, neither side seems to be moving on what they need to do to avoid a fiscal cliff and reach an agreement. republicans say no tax rate increases. democrats aren't giving in on entitlement reforms. is this just posturing? or are we in real trouble here? >> reporter: well, this is washington.

the whole fiscal cliff is forcing them to do something. but you nailed it on the specifics. it is tax rates. the president has said that tax rates will go up for the wealthy. republicans won't bend on that. yesterday, john boehner said, we are at a stalemate. yes, this is posturing. yes, this is washington. we have four weeks to go. we're going to have ups and downs. >> ups and downs in the stock market, as well. david, thanks. have a great weekend. >> reporter: you, too. now, to the star college basketball players accused of abusing their position as big men on campus. they're now facing burglary charges for allegedly stealing thousands of dollars of stuff from their fellow students. and abc's john muller is covering the story. john? >> reporter: good morning, dan. hofstra students say iphones, computers and even cash has been disappearing from their dormrooms all semester. one victim used an app to track down her stolen ipad. when the investigation unfolded, the staggering news. now, four players from the division-i basketball team are under arrest. faces, covered in shame. hiding tears as they leave a long island courthouse. another man, pushing and even

taking swings at a cameraman as he storms out of court. they are the stunned loved ones of four hofstra university basketball players, charged friday with stealing an estimated $20,000 in cash and items from fellow students over the past two months. police say their favorite targets, high-tech devices, like ipads and iphones. >> they would be in a dormroom visiting, you know, another student. and then, if there was an unoccupied room within the suite, they would take liberty and remove ipads, laptops. >> reporter: police say the star status as basketball players gave them unique access to students' rooms. they say the stolen goods were sold for cash on craigslist, at pawnshops and even on the street. none of the four players have prior criminal records. but jimmy hall, hofstra's

second-leading scorer, was kicked off his high school team last year for conduct violations. >> they will be found not guilty because the facts in this case are not what the prosecution wants to believe at this point in time. >> reporter: despite pleading not guilty, court records and handwritten statements show the men had mitt in some part to stealing. all have scholarships to hofstra university, whose basketball team is named pride. hofstra students feeling anything but pride at the moment. >> just disgraced. it's embarrassing to know that's our team. >> reporter: all four hoops stars have pleaded not guilty. in a statement, hofstra university says they have been working closely with police. all four students have been suspended from the university and the basketball team, pending the outcome of their court case. dan? bianna? >> thanks. now, to a terrifying survival story. a man who found himself swimming for his life after being attacked by a shark in hawaii. it happened 250 yards from shore. and the victim said the shark's head was two feet wide, with his leg caught in the shark's jaws. ron is back with this story. he's one lucky guy.

>> this is a harrowing tale about the man who got away from the fish. but just barely. the fish believed to be a very dangerous tiger shark, that seemingly appeared out of nowhere. and pounced on the man snorkeling off the coast of maui. >> it didn't hurt so much. it was mostly just fear of a second attack. >> reporter: from his hospital bed, tom kennedy was able to describe his close encounter with a shark just hours earlier. one that could have cost him his life. >> i kept watching behind because i was, obviously, concerned, he might come back again. >> reporter: around 9:30 friday morning, the 60-year-old from oregon was snorkeling with friends off the coast of maui. suddenly, without any warning, experts say what appeared to be a ten-foot-long tiger shark, attacked him, biting him on his leg. >> released me. so, i started swimming as fast as i could. as i went further, i started to bleed. and i could see i was trailing blood, which was my next concern. >> reporter: kennedy managed to get away from the shark and back

on his paddle board. one of his fellow snorkelers, an emergency room nurse, began first aid. and helped get him safely back to shore. >> police and emts got me loaded in the ambulance. >> reporter: doctors say he was lucky the shark didn't bite any major arteries. and as he recovers, the bloody bandage on his leg is kennedy's reminder of just how lucky he is to be alive. >> could have this. struck by lightning. the odds are about the same. >> after friday's incident, officials along the hawaiian island shut down swimming along the stretch of beach where the attack occurred. this is the fourth attack off maui since october. in one of the other incidents, a woman who is a martial arts black belt fought off a 12-foot-long tiger shark by punching it in the snout, which is apparently what you're supposed to do, if you have the presence of mind. >> we were talking before the show, if there was any way we could get the word snout into the broadcast.

>> you didn't know about this? >> who knew? >> ron, thank you for that. now, to the huge game-changing twist in a bizarre murder case we've been following here. check out the before and after. this is 70-year-old pro tennis ref, lois goodman, on the day she was arrested at the u.s. open for murdering her husband. and this is her with a big smile, after a big surprise in this case. abc's abbie boudreau all over the story. >> reporter: it was freedom day for lois goodman. as she cut off the police monitoring bracelet she wore, while standing trial for murder. >> i always maintained my innocence. and i'm just thrilled, thrilled, to get back to my life. >> reporter: all charges, dismissed. >> based upon this information, we announced that we are unable to proceed with the case at this time. >> it is an amazing day for justice and for miss goodman. she has gone through hell with this case. >> reporter: prosecutors had

accused the long-time tennis ref of bludgeons her husband to death with a coffee mug. and then, covering up the crime. from the start, goodman claimed she was innocent. >> she's in shock. i mean, this is insane. >> reporter: even her daughter, telling "gma," there's no way her mother was capable of murder. >> she's a small, wonderful, nice, warm-hearted person. my mother would never do this. not in a million years. she's completely innocent. >> reporter: goodman told police her 80-year-old husband, alan, died after her fell down the stairs and hit his head. but police didn't buy her story and arrested the 70-year-old for murder, right before she was set to referee the u.s. open tennis tournament in august. when released on bail, she was still wearing her uniform. all along, her lawyers arguing the case against her was weak. claiming she passed a polygraph test. and said her dna was nowhere to be found on that coffee mug. in a los angeles courtroom friday, prosecutors told the judge, based on new information, they were dropping the murder charges against goodman and dismissing her case. possible charges could be

brought against goodman in the future if new information comes to light. but for now, she says she's happy to be a free woman. even joking about going to disneyland. dan and bianna? >> i sat with her family. they never wavered. they've always said she is innocent. >> you see how happy she was in the picture we saw at the top of the piece. in other news this morning, the search goes on for the holder of the second winning ticket for that record powerball jackpot. a couple in missouri came forward yesterday to claim their share of the prize. a cool $136 million after taxes. abc's alex perez has the story. >> reporter: meet the family that has 293 million reasons to smile this morning. >> i called my husband. i said, i think i'm having a heart attack. >> reporter: two years ago, cindy hill, and her husband, mark, were unemployed. today, they are half the winners

of a $588 million powerball jackpot, the second-largest in lottery history. >> we're still stunned by what's happened. it's surreal. >> reporter: the hills accepted their giant check friday, with three sons and adopted daughter, jaden, at the same high school in dearborn, missouri, where the couple first met, nearly four decades ago. >> we remember when they were high school sweethearts. >> wish i had been nicer to them when they were kids. >> reporter: the numbers, selected by quick pick wednesday night. the following day, mark called out from his job at a hot dog packing plant and claimed the prize. but while these millionaires celebrate, the big question remains, who bought that second winning ticket in arizona? no one has come forward yet. but the answer may lie all the way across the country, in maryland. this video shows a man in a golden vest, apparently with a golden ticket, as well. the clerk and customers say the ticket did have the winning numbers. and that it was from arizona. but the guy bolted before he could make sure. >> is this the right numbers? i looked at them.

yeah, that's the numbers. you got them all. >> reporter: as that mystery deepens, back in dearborn, the hills are looking ahead. mark and cindy plan on taking a lump sum, $136.5 million. and starting college funds for their grandchildren, nieces and nephews. but little jaden has something else in mind. >> jaden, what did you want for christmas? >> a pony. >> reporter: for "good morning america," alex perez, abc news, dearborn, missouri. >> there was no hesitation there. she didn't have to think about it one bit. >> not college. not a car. a pony. ginger? i love ponies. >> i love ponies, too. and happy meteorological first day of winter. that's very exciting. it won't happen astronomically until the 21st. i'm such a nerd. end of the atlantic hurricane season. i've got some interesting information here. we had 19 named storms. that is well above the average

of 12. you're seeing all of the paths there. now, we have a little invest. a little tropical area, of stormy. we have a chance of it becoming valerie. we could see post-hurricane season tropical storm form. we'll be watching that for you. we have to talk about the warmth. it sure doesn't feel like the first day of meteorological winter.

>> beautiful photos coming in this week. this one from lisa in yorkville, illinois. look at the colors there. so perfect. she always sends great pictures. of her dogs, too. as much as you love cats, i love dogs, dan. >> fair enough. to each their own. >> and the calm in the storm. this is from washington, between some of the bands of really heavy rain. i thought that was a nice bright spot for what has not been so bright in the northwest. thank you for the photos. find me on twitter. i know what i'm getting bianna for the first day of meteorological winter. >> a pony? >> a pony. >> you're so giving. >> i learned a weather geek fact yesterday. four times in the last decade, we've had named storms during december. it's not out of the question. could be an interesting month. >> thank you, dan. >> yep. i'm here for you. now, to the secret santa. this is the guy that's come to new york to hand out $100 bills randomly to people hit hard by superstorm sandy. >> he's planning to give away $100,000 this holiday season. and he is hoping other people will follow his example.

abc's john schriffen spoke to him about this holiday generosity. and has the latest. he's been doing this for six years now? >> it's amazing how long he's been doing this for. and he seems like a great guy. what a difference a week makes. the black friday madness had shoppers punching and kicking for deals. but this man from kansas city couldn't be more different. he forces media outlets to sign a confidentiality agreement not to reveal his identity. is but whoever he is, the secret santa is reminding all of us what the holidays are all about. >> $500. would that help you? >> going to my daughter. >> reporter: it's not every day, that a complete stranger will pay your bills. but sometimes, the most unlikely miracles fall at your feet. >> you must have dropped that. >> no. >> that's got to be yours. >> oh, my god. are you serious? >> reporter: the culprit, secret santa.

the unidentified miracle worker whose acts of kindness are bringing people to tears, all throughout the country. >> oh, gosh. i feel like i just got a million dollars. >> reporter: he goes from city to city, surprising folks with $100 bills. sometimes spending up to $100,000 a year. >> it's not about the money. it's really about committing random acts of kindness. i think it's one of the great things that we can do. >> reporter: he's been spreading holiday cheer since 2006, after the original secret santa, larry stewart, was diagnosed with cancer. >> i asked if he had any regrets. he said, yeah. i regret i couldn't help more people. right then and there, i told him, i'm going to take as many $100 bills with your name and pass them out. >> reporter: this year, he made his way to staten island, to help those affected by hurricane sandy. >> and i thought to myself, what is stronger? the force of hurricane sandy? or the spirit of the people that it affected?

and i will tell you, it's the spirit of the people. >> someone wants to give something back to us, you know. it was a surprise. >> reporter: secret santa does not show his face. and if his secret identity is revealed, he says he'll have to quit. >> it takes away from what you're doing. >> reporter: but it's no secret that he's touching lives $100 bill at a time. >> thank you so much, secret santa. i believe in santa. >> reporter: how amazing is that? the mysterious man from kansas city said over the years, the one thing he notices, the people who have the least, actually give the most. that shows this has nothing to do with money. >> it makes us all believe in santa when you hear a story like that. john, thanks. >> appreciate it. coming up here on the broadcast, just when you thought it wouldn't get more bizarre. wait until you hear the latest testimony in the case of a woman accused of swindling a lottery winner and then killing him. what did she need a doctor for her in court? also, a young girl's fight this season to break the gender barriers attached to toys. it all started because she wanted to give her brother an

easy-bake oven. >> this girl's extraordinary. wait until you hear from her. and it's the duet nobody saw coming. who is johnny depp making music with now? it's all coming up on "pop news" after a quick break. keep it here on "gma" this saturday morning. we'll see you in just a minute. ] cool, you found it. wow. nice place. yeah. [ chuckles ] the family thinks i'm out shipping these. smooth move. you used priority mail flat-rate boxes. if it fits, it ships for a low, flat rate. paid for postage online and arranged a free pickup. and i'm gonna track them online, too. nice. between those boxes and this place, i'm totally staying sane this year. do i smell snickerdoodles? maybe. [ timer dings ] gotta go. [ male announcer ] priority mail flat rate boxes. online pricing starts at $5.15. only from the postal service.

online pricing starts at $5.15. he is a good little monkey and always very curious. one day george got an important letter... he's built a rocket ship to travel into space. it's just the right size for a clever monkey. do you want to go into space, george? you will have to be very brave. hi, grandma! oh hi,. my little monkey! here. thank you very much. you're welcome. everyone got on and they were off to the launching site. google, how far is earth to the moon? moon is 238,900 miles... the great moment had come... ...5...4...3...2...1

she doesn't even though our really get us. and she'll never know who we are, or what... no way, madden girls?? nike! who's your mommy now? famous brands. famously easy. famous footwear. victory is yours.

♪ you can mix up a yellow or a chocolate cake ♪ that's a classic commercial for the easy-bake oven, one of the most popular toys of all-time. it's even in the toy hall of fame. but it's always been considered a toy for girls. now, one young girl is fighting to change that and make it a toy for everyone.

and she's not alone. there's a big battle under way over that. good morning, america. i'm bianna golodryga. >> i'm dan harris. happy december 1st. this girl is extraordinary. so precocious. wait until you hear from her. that's coming up in just a few minutes. also this morning, johnny depp said that his character captain jack sparrow, was inspired by keith richards. you can see him, with a hat on. now, he has a highly unusual musical partner. we'll tell you who that is, when ginger fills in on the "pop news" desk. >> looking forward to that. and if you love the show, "family guy," you're going to love this. seth macfarlane has big plans for the griffin family. we'll tell you all about them, coming up. >> actually very curious to hear what that is. we're going to start with a deeply weird day in a an already strange trial. the woman accused of befriending and murdering a lottery winner, had to have a doctor with her in court on friday.

what's going on here? abc's mark greenblatt is on the story. good morning, sir. >> reporter: good morning. this is the trial that gets stranger every day, as the days go on. first, the murder suspect was almost thrown out of court. now, testimony about her proposition for sex with the detective that was hot on her trial. >> she told me she could get a free room at the hard rock casino. and then, perform sexual acts on me. >> reporter: detective david clark dropped the latest bombshell in dee dee moore's trial for murder. saying moore offered him sex, after he caught her lying while investigating the death of lottery winner, abe shakespeare. >> i told her, if she kept lying, i was going to get angry. she said i wasn't going to get angry. that i was going to have sex with her. >> reporter: police charged moore with first-degree murder, after finding shakespeare's body buried under concrete in moore's backyard. moore was often reduced to tears in court, after spending the night hospitalized, claiming medical problems. this, just one day after she almost got thrown out of her own murder trial.

allegedly for making faces, to communicate with jurors. >> i cautioned you throughout these proceedings. it's not acceptable. >> reporter: shakespeare had said after he won that $17 million jackpot in florida, it seemed everyone he knew just wanted his money. >> i'd really like my old life back, when i could talk the streets like a normal person. >> reporter: detectives say shakespeare's luck ran out for good, when moore got close to him. they say his normally busy cell phone went inactive, except for some mysterious calls, placed only to moore. but police say it was a charade. she had actually made those calls to herself. >> you used his phone. where's the phone now? and don't lie to me. where's the phone? just tell me. >> i threw it away. >> where did you throw it away at? >> on the side of the road. >> reporter: this kind of courtroom tension, that her public defenders may be causing her strange behavior.

>> i don't pretend to know precisely what kinds of things she's reacting to. but i know it's very stressful for her. >> reporter: and on monday, the prosecution will continue its case. dan, bianna, with a six-hour taped interrogation. expected to come into play. >> we'll continue to cover it. mark, thank you very much. let's look at the other headlines breaking overnight. for that, we go to ron claiborne. good morning, again. >> hi, again. good morning, everyone. in the news, the families of the victims of that tragic garment fire in bangladesh will be compensated by the bangladeshi government. families of those who died will get $2,500. they will also be compensated by the company. and buildings around the world, from the sydney opera house to the empire state building will be bathed in red today for world's aids day. there will also be events to recognize the widespread imact of hiv and aids. we're now seeing our first pictures of halle berry's ex with her daughter since his fight with berry's fiance. lawyers for the actress and

gabriel aubry say they've reached an amicable agreement in their custody battle for nahla. aubry also dropped the restraining order against berry's fiance, olivier martinez. and finally, a different kind of tree lighting this holiday season. check this out. a chinese artist set off a series of explosions inside a 40-foot pine tree on the national mall on friday. but it was a bit of a dud. you see there. shifting winding ruined the intended effect. >> it looked like it blew up. >> it's a long story. believe me. it will take the rest of this half hour to explain that one. it didn't work. time, now, for the weather. over to ginger zee. >> i have maybe more holiday-appropriate pictures to start with. in atlantic city, the weather will be almost perfect. low-40s. this is from the city kicking off its holiday light show, called winter sweets. these pictures are a sneak peek of the show, that projects spectacular 3d holiday images on the boardwalk hall. the show will play every night through the winter. at this time, the a.c. is bouncing back after hurricane

sandy. and this is the headline. its boardwalk is open for business. things are looking good. very holiday-like. now, we're going to look at what's going on weather-wise. high today, 56 for atlantic city. pittsburgh, 53. charleston, 62. that's below the front. look above it. cooler with rain/snow mix in that purple area. and a look one more time at the pacific northwest. storm three comes in tonight. that's some of the heaviest rain and gusty winds will be affecting us. we'l >> this weather report has been brought to you by bp. bianna and dan? >> great to see the boardwalk back up. ginger, thanks. coming up on "good morning america," shaking up the christmas list. find out about the young girl taking on toymakers for the way they sell their products to

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well, some toys are under attack this holiday season. and not for the usual reason, which is often safety. this time, it's about marketing. and the idea of girls' toys and boys' toys. >> there's one, young girl leading a fight because she wants to give her brother an easy-bake oven for christmas. abc's tanya rivero is on the story this morning. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. this is example of one of the toys coming under fire this holiday season. it's a beauty salon. and critics say it displays girls in stereotypical roles. many experts say mixing up toy options for girls and boys could be a good thing. one very concerned big sister is starting a movement to make sure that toy companies get that memo. 4-year-old gavin pope loves to play with his big sister, mckenna.

whether it's pretending to be a knight. >> cooking day. >> reporter: or a cook. >> what do you want to be when you grow up? >> a chef. >> he's obsessed with cooking. everything i do in the kitchen, he wants to help with, whether it be the dishes or whether it be cooking. >> reporter: in this video, shot by mckenna, gavin tells what he most wants from santa this year. >> i want a dinosaur easy-bake oven. >> reporter: but this aspiring chef was dismayed to find hasbro only makes the ultimate easy-bake oven in pink and purple. and the ads and packaging don't show a single boy. ♪ make more bakes more >> reporter: so, 13-year-old mckenna took matters into their own hands. and began a petition on change.org, calling on hasbro to alter its marketing and color options. >> he should know that it's okay for him to go against societal

norms and societal gender roles. >> reporter: some experts say mckenna is on to something. >> so, in order for children to not face limitations in their occupational choices, i really think it's important that we present them with gender-neutral toys. >> reporter: and this holiday season, overly gender-specific toys are a hot-button issue. this butterfly beauty shop from lego's friends line, has drawn the ire of a group called campaign for a commercial-free childhood. they nominated it for their dubious toady award. saying it's so jam-packed with condescending stereotypes, it would make barbie blush. but in contrast, the swedish top toys group, just published a catalog full of gender-neutral toy images. girls wielding toy guns. boys with blow dryers. by the way, we found top toys sells a blue and green kitchen,

shown complete with a boy in a purple apron. and big sis plans to tell santa. as of this morning, mckenna has collected 9,500 signatures in on-line petition. we reached out to hasbro and lego for comment. but i ran into this exact same problem with my own 4-year-old son. i found a lovely wooden kitchen, stained the color of wood. neutral, perfect, we both loved it. >> send it to jake. >> reporter: i will send it right over. >> you make a good point. so many chefs are actually men. not just women in the kitchen. >> reporter: star chefs, too. >> thanks, tanya. coming up on "good morning america," a big announcement for fans of "family guy." nine days till christmas

and eddy said the toys might not be ready! eddy? the elf! ♪ [ radio announcer ] today's forecast: it's snowing snowballs and snow bricks out there... seven more days and it's snowing snow bricks! oh, well, be careful! [ radio announcer ] only two days to go, and several of the elves were tossed around when they tried to wrap a pony. [ female announcer ] the keepsake countdown ornament. build anticipation every day till christmas. elves tried to wrap a pony! ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] you've been years in the making. and there are many years ahead.

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so, early on a saturday morning, we play that music. we bring in rachel smith, our entertainment reporter. but rachel's off this morning. very happy to have ginger zee. good morning here. >> i am so happy. i love stories about bieber and lohan, almost as much as i love the troposphere. we're very lucky. >> will you define troposphere in the course of this "pop news"? >> no, i will not. >> probably not. >> but what i will do, dan, i'm going to do something that you're going to like. there's going to be a "family guy" movie. big applause, everyone. seth macfarlane, slipped with the news to a bunch of students at ucla. he says he already has a concept for the film. and it's only a matter of time before it gets made. the soon-to-be oscar host, also announced a contest for film students, while he was doing all this. six winners will get to join seth on stage and actually hand out oscars. you will get to see the trophy-toting coeds on abc in february. exciting stuff. now, breaking news. are you ready for this?

johnny depp is hot. and he plays guitar, which makes it even hotter. he recently joined alice cooper's concert in los angeles. you can see him there. he's in the hat. the sexy pirate jumped in on a few covers, includes "foxy lady" and "my generation." he's done this before. he's performed with aerosmith and the black keys. >> ginger zee, into johnny depp. who knew? this one for everyone. the hills are alive, with carrie underwood. the country superstar is set to play maria von trapp in the live tv broadcast of "the sound of music." it's a role immortalized by julie andrews. this version will be adapted from the original broadway show. i've never seen either. but i'll bet she's going to be great. >> you've never seen "the sound of music"? >> no. >> neither have i. how does it end? don't give it away. >> carrie says she has almost no acting experience. but she has a year to practice.

so, that's great news. i'm serious on this one. i have to take a deep breath. i'm going to have a tough time getting through this without squealing. if you follow me on twitter, you know me at all, you know i absolutely love "american idol" winner, phillip phillips. and apparently, i'm not alone. his first album made an impressive debut on the billboard charts, coming in at number four. i love you, phillip. his single "home" is a multiplatinum top-ten hit. when he was asked if he hoped to obtain "idol"-caliber game, like kelly clarkson, he said it is what it's meant to be. because he's humble. and incredibly handsome. okay. >> ginger. >> who knew? >> the take away. johnny depp or phillip, call ginger. either one. >> got to do "pop news." >> if he's got a pony, call bianna. >> i love ponies. >> ginger, you are great at "pop news." >> thank you. >> you are really awesome. when we come back, we have an example of ron claiborne behaving badly. keep it here. >> oh, no.

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i need all the help i can get. i tell them, "come straight to the table." i say, "it's breakfast time, not playtime." "there's fruit, milk and i'm putting a little nutella on your whole-wheat toast." funny, that last part gets through. [ male announcer ] serving nutella is quick and easy. its great taste comes from a unique combination of simple ingredients like hazelnuts, skim milk and a hint of cocoa. okay, plates in the sink, grab your backpacks -- [ male announcer ] nutella. breakfast never tasted this good.

before we go, every morning before the show, we record promos for the local affiliates. and this morning, i got heckled while i was doing mine. take a look at what ron claiborne did to me. >> five, four. come on, ron. >> thank you, ron claiborne. and thank you for watching. we're back tomorrow morning. we'll see you then. >> busted.

good morning, i'm katie marzullo. in the sierra the truckee is expected to overflow the banks. state of emergency has been declared for douglas county. preparations are underway. crews are filling sandbags in a industrial section of sparks that could be under four feet of water by 7:00 tomorrow night. it's expected to reach four feet above flood stage true sparks. in california, it's predicted to flood between squaw creek and the town of kuik ee. rain means snow in the sierra and ski resorts plan on being open. kirkwood provided these pictures to show what i had it looked like at the bottom of the slopes. they all plan to be open today.

ski lifts at sugar bowl are idle. sugar bowl will be closed because of high winds. squaw valley and alpine meadows may keep on them opening today, as well. >> you see how wet that snow is. it's very high and the winds are extremely gusty. you look at all the rain here. you look at the radar and lots of this is low level moisture it hits below the radar beam. we're not picking up everything but there is so much moisture out there. it's light and it will be widely scattered throughout the day today. foothill road, looking at more wet weather, south bay, sunnyvale, peninsula, 280, light showers into the santa cruz mountains. we have breezy winds, up to 23 miles an hour. gusty winds at only. airport delays upper 50s to low 60s. flash flood watch in effect through tomorrow. san francisco, peninsula, santa

cruz mountains looking at storm drains being overwhelmed as an additional two to four inches heads yes you did. no i didn't, no i didn't. yes you did, yes you did. no i didn't, no i didn't. yes you did. did not. [ male announcer ] find some peace this holiday. get an 8 piece meal now with a dozen delicious cook-store. the kfc festive feast. all for just $19.99. today tastes so good. t comes to toilet paper, there's no such thing as too soft. i know what i like. i like feeling both clean and pampered.

why should i compromise? quilted northern ultra plush® with the innerlux layer. for a comfortable, confident clean, or your money back. >> katie: good morning, it is 8:00 a.m. i'm katie marzullo in for terry mcsweeney this morning. we'll start you off with a quick first look a